Rumors
by CourtneyLyynn
Summary: Gabriella has always had rumors follow her, but when someone see her walk into the boys change room after their basketball practice, the rumors are taken to another level.


Through out my whole life people had stared, whispered and started rumors about me, and through out life I have held my head up high and fought through them. Most of them were miner as I got older they got bigger, but it wasn't till someone saw me walk through the boys locker room door after the guys basketball practise did these rumors reach an all time high.

Not many people really and truly know me; all everyone knew was that I was Gabriella Montez, best friend of Sharpay and girlfriend of Troy Bolton. The school wanted to know more so when someone said something people tended to believe it. So when Megan walked out of the gym after cheer practise she of course could not wait to tell her friends what she's seem.

Something everyone knows around East High is that no matter how big the school is, every piece of gossip gets around quicker that someone can text it to you. So at lunch as I sat at our table in the middle of the cafeteria with the same people I usually sit with, I couldn't help but notice the burn I felt in the back of my head. Turning around none other than Megan and the cheer squad were sitting at the table behind me. There was nothing wrong with the way I was dressed, it was Sharpay approve, my hair was down and straightened so I couldn't quite figure out why they had been staring.

It took until the end of the day for the rumor to get to me. With Troy leaning against the locker next to mine, waiting for me to get my books so we could go Sharpay came bouncing up to us. "So how was the sex?" Now confused more than anything by her question, everything made a little less sense than it did before. "What are you talking about Shar? Even you're not that random."

"Well rumor has it Bolton here couldn't wait till after school to get some, so after practise you joined him in the showers to have a little fun, if you know what I mean. Megan saw you go into the change room and everything." A smirk on her face tells me that she's joking; I know she knows the truth.

"Ha ha Shar, Troy wishes it was true." I said going back to what I was doing before, so I could go home.

"Hell yeah I wish it was true. In fact, I think that we should make it true. Then I'll have something to brag about." Troy said wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Oh yeah, your dad will have a nice show. People are so stupid to believe that we would seriously have sex while the whole team and coaching staff is in there."

"Well at Chad's party you guys did cut off a game of pool because you couldn't make it upstairs and get a room to have sex, so if you could have sex in front of half the school then I'm sure you'd have no problem having sex in front of your team." Sharpay pointed out.

Leaving the conversation at the Troy and I made our way to the parking lot. "You do know that as some point in time people are going to find out right?" Troy said opening the passenger side door to his old beat up truck.

"People don't need to know every aspect of my life, especially people at school. It's bad enough I dragged myself to school today of all days and then on top of all that have people know I couldn't take it and broke." Turning up the radio ending yet another conversation making the rest of the drive home silent.

Getting out of the truck; now parked in the driveway Troy pulled me into a hug. "I'm sorry. I know today was hard for you and its harder for you to admit that your not okay but people will get over you going into the change room and move on." Kissing my forehead, we continued our walk up the driveway. Entering the house to the smell of freshly made brownies, we made our way over to the kitchen were Troy's mom Lucille was. "Oh honey Jack called me early and told me what happened, I can't believe you went to school today, normally you stay home." She said making her way around the kitchen counter.

"Well at some point in my life I'm going to have no other choice but get out of bed on this day, so I decided to just go today. Yeah I miss my dad and it hard to forget what happened but mopping around isn't going to make him come back." Tearing up a little at the thoughts of today and what happened to my dad all those years ago, "But Jack really helped."

After stealing a few more brownies from the tray Troy and I went to do the little bit of homework we were given. After studying for a little bit and not being very successful due to all the thoughts running through my head I decided just to ask Troy. "Do you think that my mom blames me?" Snapping his head up from inside his English test book, he looked at me with confusion written all over his face. "You mean because of what happened to your dad? No, of course not. How can she blame you for something that isn't your fault?" He said crawling over to me from the other side of the bed.

"Because I killed him! It's my fault that he's dead; my fault that my mom still cry's herself to sleep at night thinking I don't hear her. We're not a family anymore because she's never home; she doesn't want to be near me." Sobbing into his shoulder as he tried desperately to comfort me.

"Babe one thing you need to do in order to get over the death is to stop blaming yourself. Your beating yourself up over something you had no control over. You dad ran a red light and the car was hit. There was nothing you could have done to stop it." Kissing me on the side of my head, he pulled me close to his chest.

"But if I hadn't have been such a brat that day a refused to walk home, then he would have never left the house, he wouldn't have run the red light because he was late, and I would still have a dad." I choked out, my tears still rapidly falling.

'Hey remember what I said the day of the funeral? You have a dad, he may not be your biological, but he's always loved you like a daughter. Plus he's more useful to you most of the time then he is to me." Troy said making me smile.

"I guess it kind of worked out. I don't have a dad and he didn't have a daughter, and apparently his son isn't so impressive." I said cheekily.

"Hey that's not funny." Jumping up from the bed before her could catch me, I ran out of the room as he chased me from close behind. Running into the living room nearly running into Troy's dad Jack, I quickly hid behind him, knowing Troy wouldn't be able to get me.

"You guys slow down, what's going on?" Jack asked blocking Troy from grabbing me.

"He's trying to attack me; it's not my fault that he can't handle the truth. You know Troy the one thing to do to get over something is to stop blaming yourself, for something that's not your fault. Wait; nope it kind of is your entire fault." Giggling as Troy's face turned into Shock again.

"Just let me at her, I promise it won't be painful." Troy pleaded.

"Troy just go help your mother set the table for dinner." Troy catching the hint retreated from the room without another word. After Troy left, Jack turned towards me. "So you're better now?" The concern in his voice making me smile.

"Yea I've had a few more melt downs, but I'm doing better then I normally would be." Kissing me on the forehead, he offered me a smile.

"I'm always right next door if you need to talk, or cry." Nodding my head, we joined Troy and Lucille in the dinning room were dinner was just being served.

"Perfect timing everything looks amazing." Taking a seat next to Troy, we intertwined our hands turning to each other sharing a smile, telling each other that everything was going to be okay.

A few months later the same day came back to haunt me again; after once again having a bad day I went to the locker room after practise for some comfort, and of course the rumors started yet again. This time it was different. Now I was sleeping with the whole basketball team as a way for them to be relieved of all the stress before playoffs. This one almost made me spit out my milk I was drinking at lunch when Sharpay told me. "You know Gabs that the cheerleader's practise is longer then the basketball team, so no wonder why the rumors are starting." Once again pointing out the obvious to me.

"Like I've said a million times before I don't care what the airheads think. They're too stupid to ever figure out the truth. Plus they're just jealous because apparently the basketball teams all mine, and they can't have any." Saying the last part louder then necessary, knowing they were listening in on what we were talking about.

"Hey I thought that you were all mine, but now I have to share you with the rest of those guys." Troy said dropping a kiss to my lips before taking a seat next to me.

"Oh please they wouldn't be able to handle me if they tried. They'd be better off with Sharpay." Sharpay who heard my comment threw a fry at me from across the table.

"What you know it's true too.' I defended myself.

Sharpay glaring at me again trying to hide the smile that was creeping its way onto her face, and failing miserably at it, finally letting it out laughing hysterically. "You know a think that the team should be a part of a survey the student councils doing. I can already see it now, _'Gabriella Montez as good as Bolton says or is it all for show?' _What do you think? Maybe people would actually read the stupid newspaper then. To make it even better there can be a pro con list."

Laughing along with her knowing she's crazy enough to try it out. "Oh yeah because a school that barely lets couples hold hands in the hallways would really let you print out a so called sex scandal tell all. Through your right people might actually read it then." After everyone was done eating, now bored, we left our table to wander the halls until class started. People staring as I walked in the middle of the group surrounded by half the basketball team that I supposedly was sleeping with. Ditching the boys to go to the bathroom to fix my makeup, walking to the one closest to my locker, I was met by Megan and her followers.

"Well, well look who it is. I'm surprised that one of the players isn't with or do you only do it when the whole teams around? No? Must be only in the locker room then." taunting me with what ever rumor was following me this week never bothered me in the past, so why she continued to try I don't know why.

"Nope strictly after practise only. Right when they're stressed the most. I get best results then." Finding some twisted pleasure in messing with her head, I played along.

"So tell me are they really as good as people say or are they just boasting their egos?" Hook, line, and sinker. Putting my tube of lip gloss away, I turned to her finding the opening I was looking for.

"Well you know I was going to ask if you wanted to switch stories, but oh wait you don't have any, god forbid anyone come near you with a ten foot pole. Wouldn't want to catch what ever you had." Smirking at the shock written all over her face I turned to walk away. Walking out of the bathroom and into the nearly empty hallway Megan followed me.

"So do you really believe what they tell you?" Turning around to the queen bitch herself once again confused by what she meant.

"What are you talking about Megan or are you just wasting my time hoping that someone will walk by and see you talking to me and think you're not just a slut?"

"Funny but you're the biggest slut around school. But I was talking about the police officers; didn't they say your father ran a red light trying to get to you quicker because he was late? Do you really believe that?"

"No shit, what else could it have been, he was late and didn't want to worry me. The streets are never busy so he ran the light and a car hit him. Why do you care?" Standing there tapping my stiletto heeled foot against the floor impatiently waiting for an answer.

"I was just thinking about it. I don't believe it I mean why would anyone rush to see you? My guess is he saw a car about to go on the green light and went through it to get away from you." My jaw hanging open now I was ready to pounce on her.

"You little bitch. How dare you say that. At least my parents love me enough to keep me. So have your real parents tried to find you or are they still sure that they didn't love you?" I know bitch move, but she doesn't have any right to comment on my father's death. She was the second person to find out after me because she got a detention so when the police cruiser pulled up and told me I screamed and people came running.

Her mistake was walking closer to me. Swinging my fist back a hit her right in the jaw, before lunging at her and attacking her to the ground. She tried to grab a hold of my hair as o threw punch after punch to her face. Not noticing Megan's screams or the gathering crowd around us all I knew was that I was winning. Before I knew it, I'm being pulled off Megan and dragged down the hallway. People parting to let us through as I slowly Calmed down, tears started to slowly drip down my face. Sobs erupting from my throat.

Stopping in the middle of an empty hallway, I was pulled into the hug. "Someday sweetie you're going to have to learn how to control your anger or at least take it out on someone that won't fight back. If you and Megan don't work this out soon Matsui is going to suspend you. I wouldn't be surprised if he does this time." Jack said rubbing my back. Leading the rest of the way to his office in the boy locker room, he took a seat in his chair behind his desk. I crawled into his lap; as I had done many times before and buried my head in the crook of his neck.

"She deserved it! The things she said just got to me. How could she say that he didn't love me to stay around? That he did it on purpose to get away from me." Jack choosing not to say anything yet, letting me vent before calming me down completely. "Just because she was still at school when the officer came to pick me up doesn't give her the right to tell me why it happened. The bitch hates the fact that her parents don't love her."

"Honey you know she only says those things because she knows they get to you. Plus if you hadn't tried to pounce on her in the first place she would have never brought it up." Looking up at him silently asking him how he knew how things went down. "I've known you your entire life Gabriella you've never gone down with out a fight I doubt that you'd start now." Pausing to confirm that he was right he continued. "I'm a teacher; I hear the rumors as much as you do especially when they're about my basketball team or you. So yes I heard about what started this."

"The funny thing is, is that I had taken it as a joke when Sharpay first told me but then Megan was standing there in the bathroom with a smirk on her face and had to comment and all I wanted to do was wipe the stupid smirk from her face. So I did." Laughing at the image of how I left her face; that had popped into my mind.

After Jack was sure I was calm enough to be near Megan again we walked down the hallway to the principal's office. Megan was already there with her parents and the other teacher that had broken up the fight.

"Take a seat Ms. Montez." Mr. Matsui said. I listened, sitting down on the empty seat in front of his desk. "Because your mother is out of town, Jack your also her guardian at this point in time. Now I see you two girls in here way to often for the same thing, I have given you Gabriella many warnings about this too. I'll let each of you tell me your side of the story, all I'll talk to the teachers, then tell you what's going to happen to both of you."

After telling our side of the story the teachers confirming we had told the truth. Mr. Matsui sat there pondering what to do next. "Gabriella the same thing happens every time; you lose it on her and throw a punch. Why?"

"You act like it's my fault. I didn't start it. I hate her but I don't waste my time trying to get under her skin. I went to the bathroom; she attacked me I defended myself. Just because I threw the first punch doesn't mean she didn't deserve it."

"After much debate and perhaps my better judgement I've decided that you're both to get a month of detention painting sets for Miss. Darbus, and all your community service hours erased, then doubled, so you now have twice as many hours to get then the rest of the school." A breath of relief was let out. No suspension. But Megan had to open her mouth.

"So she can punch me in the face and get away with it. What about the fact that she is fucking the basketball team after every practise, she admitted to it to me earlier." Mistake number two. The office now silent then _CRACK_ followed by and ear splitting scream and a river of blood.

Walking through the teacher's parking lot with jack after the meeting, I was now the one with the smirk on my face. "You know if you had not punched her in the face again you might be going back to class instead of going home." Jack pointed out.

"Think about what you just said. I get two weeks off school. Sleeping in, no homework. Plus now she has to wear a splint on her very broken nose for the next three weeks, so at least I have something to look forward to seeing when I get back. And she can thank herself for starting the rumor because without it none of this would have happened."

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**So I've had this written for six months and just hadn't gotten around to typing it up. So because of the holidays I decided to type it up. **

**Review ****please!**

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